Kevin Pietersen believes Novak Djokovic is owed an apology from the Australia government following a major development surrounding the AstraZeneca Covid jab. 

The Anglo-Swedish producer of the vaccine withdrew global distribution of the jab on Tuesday, after admitting it can cause potentially fatal side effects.

AstraZeneca conceded last week that the vaccine, sold under the name Vaxzevria, can cause fatal blood clots and low platelet counts.

A top Australian professor has since insisted that the avoiding that particular jab caused more deaths than it saved, but former England cricket star Pietersen has taken to X – formerly known as Twitter – to bask in the latest development. 

Pietersen, who stirred controversy last month after aiming a barb at London’s mayor Sadiq Khan by removing an expensive watch and his wedding ring before a trip to the British capital, said Australia owed tennis superstar Djokovic an apology.

The tennis superstar was deported from Australia in January 2022 due to vaccine rules

Djokovic was forced to leave Australia just days before he was scheduled to walk on court as the defending Australian Open champion in January 2022 because he entered the country unvaccinated during pandemic border restrictions.

‘It’s time for every single person(who criticised) and the Australian government to issue an apology to Novak Djokovic now,’ Pietersen tweeted on Wednesday. 

‘I think that would be fitting as he went through HELL! It seems he was onto something…’

Reflecting on that turbulent episode, Djokovic told CBS last December: ‘I was basically declared as a villain of the world.’

The saga began when Djokovic was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules by two medical panels and Tennis Australia in order to play in the Australian Open. That exemption, based on evidence that he recently recovered from COVID-19, apparently allowed him to receive a visa to enter Australia. But upon arrival, border officials said the exemption was not valid and moved to deport him.

The ensuing back-and-forth raised questions of whether Djokovic was unfairly given special treatment or unfairly singled out because of his celebrity status and saw many complain that the drawn-out battle at the very least made Australia look bad.

Djokovic has since opened up on his ordeal. He has since returned to Australia and competed

A court initially ruled on procedural grounds that Djokovic could stay, but then Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, who has wide powers, later decided to deport him. In addition to not being inoculated against the coronavirus, Djokovic is a vocal vaccine skeptic, and the government said his presence could stir up anti-vaccine sentiments.

Three Federal Court judges unanimously upheld the immigration minister’s decision.

Djokovic admitted that although he has often not been a crowd favourite, what happened to him in Australia was a different level of antagonism.

‘I had that kind of experience on the tennis court with, with crowds that were not maybe cheering me on, but I never had this particular experience before in my life,’ he said.

Djokovic was asked by interviewer Jon Wertheim if he ‘misread’ the mood of the Australian public who ‘felt very strongly about vaccination’ and did not like the perceived Serbian star’s ‘exceptionalism’.

‘It was not up to me to read an anybody,’ Djokovic stated.

‘I got the permission to come into the country and, and so of course, it escalated to the highest of the highest levels globally.’

The Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Djokovic failed to comply with ‘the rules’ that to enter Australia ‘you either have to be vaccinated or you have to have a valid medical exemption and show evidence of it’.

However, in his court case Mr Hawke did not dispute that Djokovic’s medical exemption might have been valid but rested his argument on the possibility he ‘may pose a health risk’ by fostering ‘anti-vaccination sentiment’.

Djokovic flatly rejected the label of being ‘anti-vax’.

‘I’m not anti vax. No, I’m pro pro vax,’ he told Wertheim as he explained he believed it was up to the individual.

‘I’m pro freedom to choose,’ Djokovic said.